Ashley Benson Bio
Ashley Benson (born December 18, 1989) is an American actress and singer who first gained recognition on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives and later achieved international fame for her lead role as Hanna Marin on the Freeform mystery series Pretty Little Liars. Over the course of her career, she has built a versatile filmography that spans comedies, thrillers, and independent dramas, including Spring Breakers, Her Smell, and McVeigh. Her accolades include four Teen Choice Awards and a Young Hollywood Award, along with three People’s Choice Award nominations.
Born and raised in Southern California, Benson began training as a competitive dancer at a young age before transitioning into acting as a teenager. In addition to her work in film and television, she has pursued music, contributing vocals to film soundtracks and collaborating with artists such as G-Eazy. She continues to take on diverse projects across Hollywood, expanding her range as both an actress and a performer.
Early Life and Background
Ashley Benson was born on December 18, 1989, in Anaheim Hills, California, to parents Shannon and Jeff Benson. She grew up in the Orange County area alongside an older sister, Shaylene. From an early age, Benson gravitated toward performing, beginning competitive dance training at just three years old. She studied a range of styles, including ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop, and quickly developed a strong stage presence that would later shape her career in front of the camera.
Alongside dance, Benson discovered a love for music and singing, performing a solo at her church by the time she was four. She also joined school choirs and participated in local musicals, gaining early experience with live performance. When she was eight years old, she signed with Ford Models and began appearing in print advertisements, marking her first exposure to the entertainment industry. These formative years of discipline, performance, and public appearances laid the foundation for her eventual move into acting during her teenage years.
Path to Acting
Benson’s transition into acting began in her early teens, when she shifted her focus from dance and modeling toward on-camera work. Her first major break came in 2004, when she was cast as Abigail Deveraux on the long-running NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. The role required her to balance the demands of a fast-paced production schedule with her studies, and she remained with the show until 2007, earning early industry recognition for her work on the series.
While still appearing on Days of Our Lives, Benson made her film debut in a small part in the 2004 comedy 13 Going on 30, starring Jennifer Garner. Her performance opened the door to larger opportunities, and in 2007 she was cast as Carson in the cheerleading film Bring It On: In It to Win It, the fourth installment of the popular Bring It On franchise. The role required her to overcome a fear of heights to perform her own stunts and ultimately led her to leave the soap opera in pursuit of a broader film career. Throughout this period, she credited her time on Days of Our Lives for providing a strong professional foundation.
Ashley Benson Career
Early Career (2004–2009)
During her early years in Hollywood, Benson balanced her work on Days of Our Lives with a string of television and film appearances. In 2008, she starred in the Lifetime original movie Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal, playing head cheerleader Brooke Tippit in a project based on a real-life Texas high school scandal. She also appeared in a supporting role in the independent film Bart Got a Room, where she had the opportunity to work with veteran actor William H. Macy, and played a witch disguised as a cheerleader in an episode of The CW series Supernatural.
In 2009, Benson took on a leading role in the ABC supernatural comedy series Eastwick, based on John Updike’s novel The Witches of Eastwick. Although the show was cancelled after only 11 episodes due to low ratings, it gave Benson valuable experience as a series lead. These early projects helped her develop her craft and prepared her for the breakthrough opportunity that would soon follow.
Breakthrough (2010–2017)
In December 2009, Benson was cast as Hanna Marin in the ABC Family mystery-thriller teen drama Pretty Little Liars, based on the novel series by Sara Shepard. The show premiered in 2010 to 2.47 million viewers and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, running for seven seasons. Her portrayal of the stylish and resilient Hanna earned her critical praise and a devoted fan base, and she reprised the role in two episodes of the spin-off series Ravenswood.
During her tenure on Pretty Little Liars, Benson continued to build her film career. In 2012, she was cast in Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers after Emma Roberts dropped out, starring opposite Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and James Franco in the crime comedy released in 2013. She went on to appear in the 2015 independent horror film Ratter, the 2016 biographical comedy Elvis & Nixon, and the 2016 comedy-drama Chronically Metropolitan. In 2018, she starred alongside Cara Delevingne and Elisabeth Moss in Alex Ross Perry’s music drama Her Smell, performing all of her own vocals for the film’s soundtrack.
Notable Works and Milestones
Benson’s signature work remains her seven-year run as Hanna Marin on Pretty Little Liars, a role that defined her career and earned her four Teen Choice Awards and a Young Hollywood Award. Her film credits span a wide range of genres, from the stylish crime of Spring Breakers to the psychological intensity of Her Smell and the historical weight of Elvis & Nixon. Each project has demonstrated her willingness to take on challenging, varied characters beyond the teen drama that first made her a star.
Ashley Benson Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Ashley Benson has received three People’s Choice Award nominations in recognition of her work on Pretty Little Liars and her broader presence in entertainment. These nominations reflect the strong audience connection she built through her long-running role as Hanna Marin, as well as her continued popularity across film and television.
Ashley Benson Awards Won
Ashley Benson has won four Teen Choice Awards and a Young Hollywood Award, all of which were tied to her celebrated portrayal of Hanna Marin on Pretty Little Liars. These honors cemented her status as a prominent young talent in Hollywood during the 2010s and highlighted her lasting influence on a generation of television viewers.
Ashley Benson Family
Ashley Benson was raised in Anaheim Hills, California, by her parents Shannon and Jeff Benson. She has an older sister named Shaylene, with whom she grew up in Southern California. Through her marriage, she is connected to the Davis family, as her husband Brandon Davis is the grandson of late billionaire Marvin Davis and his wife Barbara Davis, and the brother of Jason Davis.
Personal Life
From 2018 to 2020, Benson was in a high-profile relationship with English model and actress Cara Delevingne. She later dated rapper G-Eazy from 2020 to 2021. In January 2023, she began a relationship with Brandon Davis, and the couple became engaged in July 2023 before marrying in November of the same year. In February 2024, Benson gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Aspen. She resides in Los Angeles, California.